Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar arrived at Hungary’s Parliament building on Saturday morning to be sworn in as prime minister. Magyar’s party won a landlisde victory on April 12th, ousting conservative Fidesz after 16 years of Viktor Orbán governing as prime minister. Critics at home and abroad have cited election interference into Hungary’s election from Brussels and major social media platforms like Meta in Magyar’s favour.
Magyar dubbed his victory a “regime change,” pledging wide-ranging reforms to fight “corruption.” The former Fidesz insider, ex-husband of former Fidesz justice minister Judit Varga, ran an anti-Orbán, pro-Brussels, pro-Ukraine campaign, with one of his main promises being “bringing home” the EU funds that Brussels has withheld from Hungary or years citing rule-of-law concerns. Magyar also wants to undo changes Orbán made to institutions like the judiciary, media, academia and other sectors, even suggesting parliament, controlled by Tisza that obtained a two-thirds majority in the House, may vote to change Hungary’s Basic Law (constitution), adopted under the second Orbán government in 2011. The current constitution, which replaced the one dating back to Communist times, states, among other things, that “the basis of the family relationship is marriage, and the parent-child relationship. A person is either male or female. The father is male, the mother is female.”
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok opened the parliamentary session, welcoming lawmakers elected in the April 12 general election, who are set to vote this afternoon to appoint Magyar as head of government. Magyar had earlier called for Sulyok’s resignation, describing him as “unworthy” of the office of president of the republic. He has issued similar calls regarding top judges, stating that unless they resign, they will be “removed.”
Magyar has already faced criticism across the political board for nominating his brother-in-law as justice minister candidate. He eventually backtracked and withdrew the nomination.
Hundreds of Tisza supporters have gathered outside the Parliament in Budapest to watch the ceremony on large screens set up around the building.
Members of parliament–141 Tisza, 52 Fidesz, and 6 (radical right-wing) Mi Hazánk representatives–are set to elect Magyar as prime minister in the afternoon, around 2:30 p.m. today.
